Fall festival warms Sykesville Saturday

Hailee Rauch stuck a finger in a newly purchased cup of steaming apple cider.

The 9-year-old's verdict? "Yummy," she said.

It was a crisp fall morning - about 40 degrees and increasing steadily throughout the day. But the sun was shining and grandparents, parents, children of all ages and occasionally horses were milling about the 39th annual Sykesville Fall Festival.

There was a kids' area with inflatable moon bounces and slides, and more than 65 tables of vendors to see, according to Joe Moltz, the vice president of the Sykesville Business Association, which sponsored the festival. There were scarves and knit hats and jewelry and food for the several thousand attendees to purchase.

But there wasn't an abundance of fall activities or products - some apple cider and pumpkins, and that was about it, according to Sykesville Main Street Manager Ivy Wells. And that's something she said will change next year.

"I'm going to add the fall back into fall fest," she said.

"We're going to fall back into fall fest," Moltz replied.

The Sykesville Business Association has sponsored the fall festival since its formation 39 years ago. But starting next year, the Sykesville Main Street Association will take over the project, spearheaded by Ivy Wells.

"We feel the Main Street Committee will have more resources available to make things grow and make them better," Moltz said.

Next year, there will be an abundance of fall-related children's activities - such as pumpkin painting, scarecrow making and hay bale mazes, Wells said. Yet, the pumpkins at this year's fall festival captivated Rylyn Tinsman. The almost 2-year-old boy with a cobweb painted on his face and a spider on his cheek sat in his stroller. Amid bites of french fries, he pointed. First at a half green/half orange, small pumpkin. Then to a medium sized pumpkin. Then back to the small.

"Oh, he's enjoying everything," said his grandmother, Lynne Reilly, after she purchased the smaller pumpkin Rylyn now clutched in his arms.

Entertainers such as the Carroll County Dance Center took up part of the street periodically during the day. At about 12:30 p.m., Tristar Martial Arts demo team in Eldersburg took over the stage (composed of blue mats).

"Ayea," 13-year-old Tylerann Jahraus screamed as she somersaulted on the mat and then kicked her leg high in the air. "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO blared from the speakers. The demonstration had begun.

Afterward, instructor Adam Benson called all children who wanted to learn some martial arts to the stage.

"Martial arts begins and ends with respect," he said before teaching them techniques to non-violently remove oneself from a bully's grasp.

Down the road, in front of Baldwin's Station, there was live music by Moe Stringz, an acoustic duo, and free beer tastings at an area dubbed the "beer garden."

"It's the parent section of the fall festival," said Ridia Dearie, Baldwin's Station, and Cork and Bottle Spirit Shop co-owner.

Terry and Hank Fitek, of Harvard, Mass., sat at a table listening to the two performers play "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 on their guitars. They were visiting their daughter and her husband, Diana and Tom Ray, of Sykesville, and had already meandered all the streets.

Now it was time to sit down and listen to music - and to enjoy the nice, fall weather.